House in splits as debate evolves from ‘Avvaiyar’ to ‘Avvai Yaar’

CHENNAI: The state Assembly witnessed a lighter moment during the Question Hour on Tuesday when former minister O S Manian urged the government to establish the Avvaiyar knowledge repository at Thulasiyapattinam in his Vedaranyam constituency.

Reacting promptly to Manian's plea, Leader of the House Duraimurugan pointed out that research suggests Avvaiyar refers to five women scholars and asked Manian which Avvaiyar he was referring to for the knowledge repository. This prompted laughter from members on both sides of the House.

Manian responded cleverly, stating that the government had already commenced the construction of a memorial for the Sangam-era scholar at a cost of Rs 13 crore in his constituency. "I am asking for the facility for the Avvaiyar in my constituency," he explained. He also clarified that "Avvaiyar" was a generic term for women scholars and poets of that time, much like "Pulavar" (Poet) was used to denote male scholars.

Joining the discussion, Minister Thangam Thennarasu appreciated how the debate had evolved from "Avvaiyar to Avvai Yaar?" (From Avvaiyar to Who is Avvai?), triggering another round of laughter from both the treasury and opposition benches. He assured the house that he, along with Minister for Tamil Development MP Saminathan, would bring this matter to the attention of the Chief Minister and work to make it a reality. "This, in fact, would turn the memorial into a hub for knowledge dissemination. It will be beneficial for society," he said, while Minister Saminathan thanked Thennarasu for sharing the responsibility of establishing the Avvaiyar knowledge repository.